PECO 3 @ West Park

The 3rd round of the PECO XC saw the clubs arriving at West Park for an approx. 5.2 mile course.  It also doubled up as the final round of the HPH Off Road championship.

It was our best turn out for an Off Road round and PECO so far this season with 28 men and 26 ladies taking the start.

It was again the mens race that went off first and the HPH men had a lot of work to do to in the league as they were bottom of the premier division after 2 rounds.  There has been talk of spread sheets and pressure being applied to get some more of our group 8 men out as they start the fight back and it seemed to have worked.

The first mile took runners around the outside of the football pitches and back past the ladies who were in good cheering form as they waited to start.  Soon it was off into the woods and a few climbs and there was a bit more mud around then at the first two rounds.

The final mile of the course took you back round the fields that were used at the start and the first Harrier into sight was yet again Alec Francis who came home in 18th and a time of 31.24.  The men soon came in thick and fast with some brilliant battles going on.  Philip Goose was next in 27th (32.17), then in 29th Michael Vargas and 30th George Anderson both getting 32.26.

Angus Milne wasn’t much further back in 38th and a time of 33.05.  All of the first 5 Harriers were scoring in the clubs 2nd division of the Off road championship.  Jimmy Sheldon was next home in 57th (33.57), then 60th Scott Watson (34.02) and the final point scorer for PECO was Ben Hartley in 86th (34.46).  These 3 all scored in the club 1st division.

As well as our first 8 men scoring well our next group of men all came home strongly taking points off other clubs.  Michael Taylor had only been 1 second behind Ben before Adam Lomas and Mike Gallagher came in on the same time of 35.09 in 97th and 98th.

The first club championship Premier division scorer was Colin Tranter in 35.28 in 107th.  In total 461 men finished, we lost Tom Thomas  early on with a slight injury but the battles continued right through out the field.

When the final scores were in the men had finished 2nd in the Premier division just behind Valley Striders which moves them off the bottom of the table as they climb above Kirkstall Harriers and now level on points with Wetherby runners.  Still plenty of work to do but back in the fight.

Next up was the ladies race and the HPH ladies are in top form this season having taken top spot in the 1st division at the first two rounds.  In those races they had been lead home by Meghan but with her missing the other ladies still put in a storming performance.

Rebecca Gray was first Harrier home in 28th and a time of 39.59.  She also claimed top points in the club premier division.

The next 4 PECO scoring ladies all came in very close together producing a strong team performance. Claire Geeson came home 54th (42.30), then Reena Mistry in 59th (42.41), Caroline Young in 61st (42.51) and then Harriet Shaw in 68th (43.24).  Reena claimed top points for the club off road 2nd division and Caroline the 1st division.

As with the men the ladies were strong through out the field with some really close battles and the strong finishes we have come to expect.  When the scores were in they had done it again.  The ladies took top spot in the 1st division extending there lead to 6 points over Chapel Allerton runners and can secure the crown at the next round.

It was an excellent day for HPH and the atmosphere was amazing again.

Thanks to Philip Bland for the action pics.

http://www.pecoxc.co.uk/pages/race3.html

 

Position	Name	Time	Division		Position	Name	Time	Division
18th	Alec Francis	31.24	2nd		28th	Rebecca Gray	39.59	Prem
27th	Philip Goose	32.17	2nd		54th	Claire Booth	42.3	Prem
29th	Michael Vargas	32.26	2nd		59th	Reena Mistry	42.41	2nd
30th	George Anderson	32.26	2nd		61st	Caroline Young	42.51	1st
38th	Angus Milne	33.05	2nd		68th	Harriet Shaw	43.24	2nd
57th	Jimmy Sheldon	33.57	1st		98th	Lois Gardner	45.13	1st
60th	Scott Watson	34.02	1st		123rd	Matilda Rhodes	46.54	2nd
86th	Ben Hartley	34.46	1st		132nd	Laura Arendsen	47.14	2nd
87th	Michael Taylor	34.47	2nd		134th	Naomi Farrar	47.17	2nd
97th	Adam Lomas	35.09	2nd		140th	Laura Cummings	47.49	Prem
98th	Mike Gallagher	35.09	1st		144th	Claudia Bauer	48.07	2nd
107th	Colin Tranter	35.28	Prem		153rd	Maika Ohno	48.22	2nd
143rd	Aron Hinds	36.29	1st		168th	Dote Stone	49.06	1st
188th	James Booth	38.12	Prem		169th	Clare Evans	49.08	1st
196th	Gary Grant	38.30	2nd		183rd	Heather Fulton	49.49	2nd
239th	Curtis Broadhead	40.09	2nd		186th	Caroline Sanders	49.56	1st
262nd	Jack Rose	41.01	2nd		206th	Samantha Scarlett	51.14	2nd
355th	John Hayes	45.41	1st		219th	Joanne Kavanagh	52.07	Prem
362nd	Ralph Kidner	45.53	1st		238th	Lucy Rider	53.04	1st
387th	Rick Pullan	46.48	1st		253rd	Emma Amor	53.58	1st
390th	Richard Edwards	47.00	Prem		260th	Laura Edwards	54.14	2nd
402nd	Bartosz Lewandowski	47.54	1st		268th	Ciara Crossan	55.02	1st
410th	Paul Dickens	48.56	2nd		270th	Johanna Rhodes	55.08	2nd
425th	Phil Hammond	50.19	Prem		321st	Hannah Roberts	1.01.53	2nd
438th	John Blatherwick	52.26	1st		325th	Eleanor Parkhill	1.02.20	2nd
442nd	Stuart Smith	52.48	2nd		DNF	Catherine Hayward
456th	Matthew Gray	58.47	1st
DNF	Tom Thomas